Flying-machine.



A. VALENTINE.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED APn.1a;1911.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. VALENTINE.

l FLYING MACHINE. APPLIoA'TIoN FILED 11113.13. 1911.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. VALENTINE.

FLYING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED A1=1.1a,1911.

PatentedJan. 23, 1912.

v readily guided and controlled in its UNITED STATES 12A-TEM orEicE.

ALBERT VALENTINE, 0E rammen, Iowa.`

FLYING-MACHINE.

.Specification ofLettei-s Patent..

. Application filed April 13, 1911. Serial N o. 620,773.

Patented Jan. -23, I1.912.

'To all whom 'it'may qo'ncem:

. Be it known that I, ALBERT VALEN'rrNE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residlng at Thurman, in the 4county of Fremont and 5 State of.. Iowa, have'invented new and useful-Improvements in Flying-Machines, of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates toflying machines of the heavier-than-air class, and particularly to those ofthe helicopter type. l;

The object of the inventionis to provide' a machine of 'this character havin a novel construction and 'arrangement of 1i ting and machine embodyingmy invention, showing. the propellers arranged in a horizontal pov .sition Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, .showing in dotted lines the-propellers' tilted 80 `forforward propulsion. Fig. 3is a vertical longitudinal section through the same.- Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse sect-ion through the I prop'ellersv and. the gearing" therefor. Figs. 5 'and 6 are perspectiveviews of the propellers. l f

In carrying my'invention into practice, I

l provide a car or cage 1 of any'suitable form and construction, which is suspended from a frame comprising uprights 2 suitably condesigned to support: the4 driving motor 3 and the pilot and passengers, if any, together with the controlling devices.

Arranged between the upper vends of the uprights 2 is a propeller sup orting -frame consisting of end pieces 4 an. 'top' and bote.

tom pieces '5 and 6, which nay be rigidly Vunited and braced in any. approved manner. This frame is provided at its opposite ends ends of said standards whereby said supporting` frame, which normally stands-.in a vertical position,"may b'e tilted in l a fore' and' v aft'direction. v A

' Forthe purpose-of tilting the supporting nected and braced. The' car vor'cage 1 iswith shorts shanks or trunnions 8 and 9 journaled in suitable bearings 10 'at the upper i frame suitable mechanism is employed, com.-

prising a drum or pulley 11 upon one of the short shafts or trunnions, whlch is engaged 'by ropes or cables 12 -extending downwardly into the car .and connected with a suitable operating or controllingdevice 13, whereby motion may be communicated to the drumto-swing the frame on the trunnions. The

operating device is provided with a spring` actuated pawl or dog 13 adapted. to engage a-rack 14 on the car, whereby the supportingr -frame may be locked. securely in adjusted j,

position.

Journaled in suitable bearings on lthe-supporting frame 1s .a -pa'ir fof concentricallyf arranged shafts 15 and 16, the shaft 16 being hollow and arranged to inclose the shaft 15.` The shaft 15 1s journaled at its.

lower end in a .bearing in the bottom piece 6 of thev 'supporting frameand extends upwardly through the shaft 16-and carries at 'lts upper end a propeller 17, while the shaft 16 is journaledupon thejs'haft .15 and lina -I suitable bearing inthe top piece '5 ofthe supporting peller 18.

frame and carries a lower pro-A p The propellers. are adapted'to be rotated at the same rate of speed in `opposite direc.

tions and are driven y gearing comprisin beveled gears 19 and g 20 on the respective .shafts meshing with a gear '21 carried by a j shaft 22 arranged at one end of the support ing frame and journaled inthe adjacent end piece 4 of said vframe and a parallel supporti`ngfpi ece 23, which gear 21 servesas a 4.

transmission gear for simultaneouslyotating the .gears 19 andI 2O info pposite directions. A sprocket .wheel 24 is mounted .on ythe shaft 22A and is-connected withthedrive shaft of- .the 'motor by. a chain 25,v whereby the gearing is driven.' `The .Propellers 17 and 18 are generally similar in construction, .each comprising' asuitable hub 26 from lwhich radiate, upper and 'lower arms v27. and 28A connected .at their outer 'ends with rims 29and reinforced at their inner ends by suitable braces 30. Fixed to .the hub andv and extending between.

the sets of arms are propeller blades 31 -inairs. of-

clined at an angle to the .plane of rotation:

of the propeller to present the necessary angle of incidence `for propelling and sup.-

porting action, the blades of one propeller mcliningin one. direction, while the blades of the votherlpiopeller incline in the vreverse directive#- As stated, the Propellers are driven in opposite directions at corresponding rates of speed, and thus each counteracts the other against any tendency to swerve the machine laterally from its course. The blades of both Propellers operate to force the air in a downward and rearward direction, by which bothv a sustaining and a working thrust is Hobtained When the Propellers are arranged in a horizontal lposition and driven at a determined rate of'speed, they will operate to lift the machine directly in the air, so that a straght'start may be made from the surface of the ground. When the machine has reached a desired elevation, the Propellers may be tilted in a downward and forward direction to lie at an angle to the path of travel, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, by which they will operate to both sustain the machine land propel the same in a forward direction. By decreasing the speed ofthe Propellers below sustentation limit, the machine may be caused to descend slowly to the ground, and by properly proportioningthe speed while .the propellers are arrang in `a horizontal position the machine may be caused to hover as will be readily understood.

As the elevation of the machine may be controlled by means of the Propellers, the necessity of employing a horizontal rudder is obviated. For the purpose, however, of steering the machine laterally, a 'vertical rudder 32 is provided and extends laterally from the upright frame portion or tower 2. The rudder is connected at its forward end to a stad 33 pivotally mounted upon a sup- Port 34Abetween the uprights to swing laterally, said staff being connected with controlling cords or cables 35 leading to an operating device 36 on the cage or car, by which the rudder may be controlled.' It will, of course, be understood that suitable clutch mechanism may be employed for throwing the gearing into and out of action4 and that the speed of rotation ofthe Propellers may be controlled either by the use of variable speed gearing or by directly regulating the speed of the motor. Having thus described the invention, I claim y A flying machine comprising a ear, uprights projecting therefrom, an open rectangular frame provided v-with trunnions journaled in bearings on said yuprights to swing in a fore and aft direction, concentric vert-ical shafts journaled on said frame and transmission shaft mounted on the frame and carrying a bevel gear meshing with the first-named gears for driving said vertical shafts in opposite directions, super- Posed Propellers mounted upon the vertical shafts above said frame and having blades inclined in opposite directions, a drum fixed to one of said trunnions, means for carrying superposed bevel gears, a4

turning .said drum to tilt the frame in one direction .or the other, a motor on the car,

and gearing between the motor and said transverse shaft.

.In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. p

ALBERT VALENTINE.

Witnesses: C. A. PICKERILL, FRANK BIRKBY. 

